Wednesday, October 14, 2015

Collaboration with Houston Public Media and Free Press Houston aims to engage young voters

KHOU 11, Houston Public Media and Free Press Houston are bringing seven of Houston’s mayoral candidates to the stage for HOU Decide: The Final Debate, airing live at 7 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 17 on KHOU 11. This debate will give Houstonians a final chance to hear the contenders square off before early voting begins on Monday, Oct. 19.

“We’re making a special effort to reach younger voters with a lively format,” said KHOU 11 Executive News Director Philip Bruce. “It’ll encourage the candidates to collect their thoughts and answer questions quickly and directly. We’re not allowing room for filibustering.”

Chris Bell, Steve Costello, Adrian Garcia, Ben Hall, Bill King, Marty McVey and Sylvester Turner have all agreed to participate in the debate. Topics addressed will include public safety, traffic, the city’s pension problem and education.

“The debate is called HOU Decide because questions will primarily come from social media engagement allowing Houstonians to participate in asking questions through their mobile devices, “ said Capella Tucker, Director of Content for Houston Public Media. The public is invited to submit their questions for consideration via social media using the hashtag #HOUDecide starting now.

In addition to airing on KHOU 11 and TV8 at 7 p.m. Saturday, the debate may be viewed on KHOU.com, houstonpublicmedia.org and freepresshouston.com, as well as each partner’s social media pages. The debate will also be broadcast on News 88.7 at 2 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 18.